Pubco set to pour £650k in bringing village pub back to life
REOPENINGS AND UPGRADES PLANNED AS OPERATOR UNVEILS £39M PROJECT
A DERBYSHIRE village pub that was much-loved by locals but closed its doors a couple of years ago could reopen under £650,000 revamp plans.
Subject to the recruitment of a licensee, the refurbishment would extend the trading space of The Punchbowl to provide 130 covers and add a new kitchen and accessible toilets.
The West Hallam pub, which dates back to 1754, last served customers in 2022. According to villagers, it was loved for its pie nights and quiz nights.
Almost £3 million is set to be invested into pubs in the East Midlands, creating nearly 90 new jobs in the region.
The announcement by Heineken is part of wider plans that will see more than £39 million invested into 600 pubs across the UK this year.
The money will be spent on upgrading and reopening pubs in its Star Pubs & Bars estate.
The move will create an estimated 1,075 new jobs across the country.
More than £2.9 million has been allotted to East Midlands pub investments with a further £422,000 invested by licensees. Eighty-seven local jobs will be created in the region on the back of the refurbishments.
One Derbyshire pub that has just benefited from this type of investment is the Ashford Arms, Ashfordin-the-Water, near Bakewell.
A Covid casualty, the Grade II listed inn closed in March 2020 but reopened in March thanks to a joint £1.6 million refurbishment by Star Pubs and Rob Hattersley of Derbyshire-based Longbow Venues.
The funds have turned the Ashford Arms into a beautifully decorated premium country pub with a new snug, two bars, a 107-cover restaurant, nine boutique en-suite letting rooms and a stunning 30-seater
alfresco area with a retractable roof. The scheme created 50 new jobs and is benefitting local suppliers whose produce the venue uses.
Rob said: “The Ashford Arms ticks all the boxes, whether people want a pint with friends, a celebratory meal with loved ones or accommodation when visiting the Peak District.
“Local residents have embraced the new look pub and are very happy it’s a lovely feature of the village again.
“Trade took off like a rocket when we opened. We’ve been fully booked for meals; room bookings are flooding in and sales are a third higher than expected.
“It’s been a massive venture and could never have been done without Star Pubs’ financial support.” Lawson Mountstevens, Star Pubs’ managing director, said: “People are looking for maximum value from visits to their local. They want great surroundings and food and drink as well as activities that give them an extra reason to go out, such as sports screenings and entertainment. “Creating fantastic locals that can accommodate a range of occasions meets this need and helps pubs fulfil their role as vital third spaces where communities can come together. Pubs have proved their enduring appeal; after all the disruption of recent years, Star is on track to have the lowest number of longterm closed pubs since 2019.
“It’s a tribute to the drive and entrepreneurship of licensees and the importance of continued investment.
“We’ve spent more than £200 million maintaining and upgrading our pubs over the last five years, and we’ll continue to invest to keep them open and thriving. Time and again we see the value consumers place on having a good local and how important it is to communities. Well-invested pubs run by great licensees are here to stay, but like all locals, need Government support to reduce the enormous tax burden they shoulder.”
Creating fantastic locals that can accommodate a range of occasions helps pubs fulfil their role as vital third spaces. Lawson Mountstevens